Manufacture of milk-powder.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAXIMILIAN RIEGEL, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

MANUFACTURE OF MILK-POWDER.

No. 860,327. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 16, 1907.

Application filed May 8, 1906. Serial No. 259,445.

To" all 'whom it may concern:

cation.

' Be it known that LMsxnumsr: Rrnonr, a subject of This invention relates to improvements in the pro- I duction of milk powder and has for its object the provision of a process whereby readily soluble milk powder, containing all the constituent parts of milk with the exception of water, and iree from any ingredients for- 'eignto milk, may be produced. Moreover, the inven tion shall provide a simple and easily applied process for securing soluble milk powder.

Numerous methods are known and now in use for reducing milk to a powdered state. Suchmethods re- I I sult in milk powder as a rule only partially soluble so that the addition of water will not yield a fluid in every way identical with natural, fresh milk. In fact only the driedmilk sugar and a portion of the dried milk salts redissolve, the albuminous matter, principally casein, remai 'ng, undissolved. Such milk powder dissolved in w ter, yields a fluid, often quite heavily colored, which is deficient'in casein in the main part and, therefore, also deficient in the various-milk salts which depend upon said casein for dissolving effect and emulsification.

ation at which time the soluble calcium salts of milk" are converted into insoluble lime salts. At thesame 'timea portion of lime 'is precipitated due to the action of lactic acid. To remove these defects it has been satisfactormhowever, because the soda reacts with the glycerids contained in the butter fat of the milk to form soap, the result being a decidedly soapy to. In some of the hitherto known and employed processes calcium chlorid is added'topvercome the acidity of The addition of this chemical has many serious effects," the principal one being that it radically changes the natural composition of the milk thereby destroying the natural flavor. In addition thereto, if a reaction be.- tween said calcium chlorid and the milk does take place, a distinctly strong. mineral acid (hydrochloric acid) is liberated, a feature attendant with serious results. The use of lime per se, proposed in some processes, is accompanied with a number of disadvantages, chief among which is the caramelization of the milksugar, a feature which causes strong coloration of the re I dissolved powder. I have ascertained that these various effects and defects can be successfully overcome by adding to the milk to be dried small quantities of calcium compounds of polyatomic alcohols of the carbohydrate group, as, ior example, beet, that is, canesugar, grape-sugar, etc. The quantity of calcium-al- 'coholate added must be sufficient to introduce to the milk a quantity of lime exactly equivalent to the quantity of this material precipitated and eliminated by the action of lactic acid and heat. I have'as certained that,

is a factor of variable value, a correspondingly large or upon heating and that, dependent upon this same acidity, a correspondingly large or small amount of the hereinbefore mentioned calcium-alcoholate must be added to replac the lime which is precipitated, because of the action of said lactic acid. If then a certain amount of lime is precipitated and removed for instance by filtration and an amount of soluble calcium-slow holate with a lime content corresponding to the amount of lime precipitated, is added and the milk is dried by complete evaporation of its moisture, a product results which, when dissolved in water, in no way differs in composition from naturah'iresh'milkl The compounds, generically termed calcium-poly-' soluble and of containing nothing foreign to the milk save unappreciable quantities of sucrose, dextrose, glycerin or whatever alcohol may have been brought such compounds being an ingredient naturally existent in milk. If a calcium compound of milk-sugar be employed no ioreign'matter whatever will be added to the milk. The eliminated lime of milk being exactly replaced with lime in combination with an organic a1- cohol, it follows that a milk powder, prepared in accordance with my process, will yield an ash in every way identical with material resulting from the calcination of fresh milk because the organic alcohols will neces'sarily be consumed in combustion.

While calcium compounds of polyatomic alcohols as aclass are applicable in my process the compounds best adapted thereto are combinations of lime and substances recognized as sugars and the most advantageous of these sugar compounds of lime are the ones resulting from a combination of cane-sugar, that is sucrose, with lime. Three such calcium-sucrates, the mono, biand tri-calcium sucratcs, generally spoken of as saccharatcs, are known and are referred to in connection with the following chemical iormulaezoiuble ll] water). 2. Bicalcium sucrate or ssccharate=(C HnOu).2Cap soluble, in water). 3. Tri-calcium sucrate or sacchuntto=(C Hu011).3CaO.3HgO- (insoluble in water).

For the purposes of my invention the soluble com:

small amount of lime will be precipitated from milk I l. Mono-calcium sacral: or sacs-hereto-(C ?HnOn).paO.2lI;O B

dependent upon the lactic acid acidity of milk, which atomic alcoholates, have the property of being waterinto combination with calcium, the lime portions of I pounds, via, the monoand the bi-calcinm saccharates, I are best adapted and it is these compounds to which preference is given. Their preparation is Very simply effected by adding lime (CaO) to an aqueous-solution of sucrose if the reaction mixture be kept cool.

To the end that my invention maybe realized I heat the milk to the temperature of pasteurization after having determined its acidity, remove the insoluble lime precipitated by such heating and add the soluble calcium saccharate in quantities sufficient to' neutralize part of the lactic acid present, an operation which will be dependent upon the previously mentioned acid determination and then evaporate the milk. The calcium saccharate may be added either before or during the evaporation,.the manipulation of either casebeing identical. The lactic acid in the milk is bound to precipitate and, therefore, cause the elimination of a dellnitelyvfi xed quantity of lime. A quantity oi lime corresponding to this eliminated amount is added to material operated upon and the original quantitative re- .lation of one constituent part of the milk to the'other 'Will be restored and it is immaterial whethersueh restoration beeffected before, or' during, evaporation.

The removal of the precipitated lime can be effected in any suitable manner, filtration being a wellknown and thorough means for this step. It may-be expedient topermitthe precipitation to proceed in the evaporation-vessel, the quantities of lime thrown down -be-.

ing so minute as to cause no great accumulation of sediment.

The quantity of soluble saccharate to .be added 'de pends'upon, as here'inbefo're. eicplained, the degree of acidity of the milk and the determination of this must necessarily be carefully and painstakingly con'ducted.

by weight of calcium saccharate solution to the milkv is indicated.

Treated in the manner hereinbefore described the evaporated milk will yield a powder containing the albuminous matter associated, with lime as in ordinary milk. Mixed with eight or nine times its weight of water, the said powderwill be completely dissolyed and will yield a liquid having all the'characteristics of I is completely redissolved when water isadded and that the'finished milk powder-shows, upon analysis, a percentage content of ingredients and a list of com ponent par-ts identical -with thosetof fresh milk.

1. 'Lne herein 'dcseribed process of produ cin, z soluble milk powder, consisting indicating the -milk to the tomperaturc of pasteurization. in removing the lime precipitilted thereby in replacing the said eliminated lime by the addition of soluble caloiumcompounds of polyatomic alcohols of thecarbohydrate group and in eyaporating the milk todryness. c

2. The herein described process of producing soluble milk powder, consisting in heatlngmilk to the tompr-rn- 7 5 -ture of pasteurization. in removing the limo precipitated lhercby, and in replacing the said eliminated limeby the addition soluble calcium compounds or polyatomic ulcohols of the (Barbe-hydrate group in such quantities that the original percentage content of calcium is restored. and in cyapornting the milk to dryness. 4

3. ,Thc herein described proiess ol producing solnhlo milk powder, consisting in pasleurizing milk, in rcmoriin. the lime precipitated thereby. in replacingtho sold climb noted limo by the addition or sulllllll \!;ll\'llllll i m-rate in such quantities than the original [)Jl'ClllliU-fl! ,conlcnt of calcium is r'cstorcd. and in evaporating the milk to dryness.

4. The heroin (loscrih'ed soluble -milk powder, consisting in the solid constituents of milk free from the insoluble calcium compounds and containing a soluble calcium (Your pound of n polyatomic alcohol ol the enrlm-hydrarte group having h calcium contcnt "qnivnlcnt to tho nmonnt of calcium sail: ronraincd. in the sold eliminat d insoluble calcium compounds.

3."!hc heroin described soluble milk powder. consisting '95 in' tho solid constituents ofmilk free from the insoluble calcium compounds and containing solllhll calcium sucrntc Witncsscs .Ixo. Ann rnoxo. .lr'una,

W. Howmsox. 

